Todays Sun with my new toys

[ianporter13]

I've just had a chance to try out my new Vixen 103s and Hyperion zoom on the sun.

boy was it nice, easily the sharpest white light image I've seen.

the detail around AR0988 was amazing.

The Hyperion took me to about 100x and an attempt to barlow it resulted in a poor image so I think I know what my next spend will be, more Hyperions

Ian

[Solar B]

That sounds Great Ian.....what were you using for ER on your new set-up.

Brian

[ianporter13]

Brian,

I was using an Orion (US) full aperture glass solar filter that I've had a few years.

I've also got some of the new Thousand Oaks solar film for evaluation which give a nice orange disk so I'll give that a try when I can see the Sun again

if it performs anywhere near the TO glass filter I have for my ZS66SD it should be good.

Ian

[Solar B]

Ian

The full aperture filters are good indeed but may i also recommend a 2" Herschel Wedge....they are expensive

and can be hard to come by...but they do offer the best pure light views...i reckon with your Vixen you

could zoom right in...."Granulation City" 8) Brian

[ianporter13]

Good thinking Brian,

we have one at the club I could borrow.

might pick it up tonight.

Ian

[The Warthog]

Ian

The full aperture filters are good indeed but may i also recommend a 2" Herschel Wedge....they are expensive

and can be hard to come by...but they do offer the best pure light views...i reckon with your Vixen you

could zoom right in...."Granulation City" 8) Brian

Explain 'Herschel Wedge,' please?

[ianporter13]

A Heschel wedge is a diagonal which contains a special prism which dumps most of the energy out of the bottom and only passes a tiny part of the energy to the eyepiece.

it is used in place of the scopes normal diagonal and NO other solar filter is used (some neutral density filters may be needed at the eyepiece but that is all)

they give some of the best white light views of the sun possible.

you just have to be careful of the light escaping from the bottom of the diagonal which has been know to set ties alight

http://www.astro-engineering.com/Solar%20Filters/solarobservingfi.html

Ian

[The Warthog]

That's OK, I never wear a tie while observing! Thanks, eh?

[Cloudwatcher]

That's OK, I never wear a tie while observing! Thanks, eh?

Yet another lamentable example of the steady decline in standards prevalent among the young observers of today!

Whatever next ?

Disgruntled

South Gloucestershire.

[Macavity]

For a moment I imagined the SPECTRE of an astronomer wearing ONLY a tie while observing...

I guess "Chippendale Astronomers" might encourage (dissuade!) more females to our subject?

Aside: Welcomes the sunspots(!) and the INTEREST therein.

[lunator]

Ian

sounds like you have a good set up for solar observing.

I'll be interested to know how the viewing using the wedge went.

Cheers

Ian

[Paxo]

That's OK, I never wear a tie while observing! Thanks, eh?

Yet another lamentable example of the steady decline in standards prevalent among the young observers of today!

Whatever next ?

Disgruntled

South Gloucestershire.

Here ! Here!

[ianporter13]

I'll be interested to know how the viewing using the wedge went.

sadly the wedge is with another member at the moment so I can't get my hands on it for another month.

Ian